As seniors Joselin Sandoval and Marely de Arcos Esmerio prepare for their high school graduation days at East Bakersfield and Shafter high schools, respectively, both are looking back at fond memories of their time there.
There’s probably a lot of competition for the best ones, but surely near the top of the list is the decision they made entering their sophomore year to play tennis for the next three seasons. They learned a new sport, met new people, practiced long hours — including in the summer heat — and gained playing experience to shape their skillset. And along the way they were supported by teammates and coaches who had their players’ best interests at heart.
Tennis and all that was gained from their dedication to it provided additional motivation for success in the classroom. Sandoval has a 3.8 GPA. De Arcos Esmerio finishes with a 4.3 mark.
So when it was time to apply for college scholarships, a process that every student goes through, both were thankful to their head coaches, East’s Marty Martinez and Shafter’s Jorge Maldonado, when they learned about scholarship possibilities through the United States Tennis Association.
At the coaches’ recommendation to apply and with a major assist by the Kern Community Tennis Association organization for the information, when 26 national college scholarship winners were picked, both Sandoval and de Arcos Esmerio received good news.
“I screamed,” de Arcos Esmerio said of when she was at home checking her emails. “My mom came into my room and said, ‘What’s wrong?’”
She showed her. She earned a $40,000 scholarship, to be paid out over four years, through the USTA. Her mom was shocked. She asked if it was really true. It was. Come this fall, the Shafter graduate will study biology at UC Irvine and hopes to become a pediatrician.
“We were both in tears,” de Arcos Esmerio said.
Sandoval was equally shocked and was also in initial disbelief, receiving a $20,000 scholarship, also to be paid out over four years.
“When I started with tennis, I did not believe I’d be here now, getting scholarships, but thanks to the hard work Martinez put us through and all the support, it has helped me become a better person,” Sandoval said. “It motivates me to go forward, and want to achieve great things.”
One of the key players on East High’s back-to-back run to the CIF Central Section Division 3 championship finals — and 2025 team win — will be attending Cal State Northridge in the fall. She will study mechanical engineering, a subject she’s dreamed about that connects to her younger days.
“I always enjoyed building stuff, whether it was Legos, working on machines or PCs,” she said. “When I found out about mechanical engineering, there was an instant connection for me. I knew then what I want to do.”
Building a championship culture in tennis at East appealed to Sandoval.
“I remember all the times during the season, there were ups and downs, hard times and hardships, the hot days we went through practicing in the summer. But there were a lot of real enjoyable memories. I know that all of the hard work that was put in through tennis really paid off.”
The USTA scholarships are not tied to players committing to play college tennis, but both praised what tennis gave them in high school. Both were championship winners in their respective leagues and in CIF competition. The intangibles learned through sports, how it helped them grow, the help of their coaches — both Martinez and Maldonado have soccer-coaching backgrounds they transferred to their tennis players — was a recipe for success.
“I played tennis and I enjoyed it, but the impact it has had on my career has helped me especially in academics,” de Arcos Esmerio said. “Just like a tennis game, I needed to concentrate, clear my mind and handle the pressure. It helped me a lot.”
Maldonado said: “I can’t think of anyone else who is more deserving of this scholarship than Marely. All of the hard work, all of the weight she put on her shoulders and being the person she is, which is an amazing human being, we’re so happy for her.”
Martinez said Sandoval’s scholarship win just strengthens how proud he is of one of his hardest-working players.
“We like to win, but this is the proudest moment,” he said. “Joselin is an inspiration and will be an inspiration for other East tennis players to come.”